Exploring the World
by darling-doodle
Summary: Prince Zuko and Kumiko have nothing in common when they meet, he's on a mission to capture the Avatar and return to his rightful place in the Fire Nation. While Kumiko has fled the very same land he wants so desperately to return to. Despite their differences, the spirits seem to be throwing them together time and time again to test their bond.


Exploring the World – A Prince Zuko / Avatar Series Story

Chapter 1:

"I can't believe I lost my ship." You muttered as you continued to wander the tundra of the South Pole. You had left the Fire Nation a good few months ago, your father having lent you one of the ships he constructed for the army to transport weapons. You missed him dearly, but you had decided to turn away from the business and go out on your own instead of continue the tradition of manufacturing weaponry and ships that your family has practiced for generations. It didn't start out as a supply and demand situation solely with the Fire Nation Army and Navy, but that's what became the reality once the weapons and ships proved themselves durable and of better quality.

You had opted out, having gained the knowledge and know how of the family trade but chose to travel and to study. . Besides, without a son the business couldn't be passed on. Thank the spirits for Ryu. Preferably before more land was overtaken by the Fire Nation and the more intricate aspects of cultures were wiped out. You loved your bending element but you despised how the Fire Lord had continued the war and the obsession of ruling all that there was to control.

While you were pondering the situations you and the world were on, you caught a flash of smoke out of the corner of your eye. "That's odd. Who would be sailing out here?" You wondered aloud as you made your way to where the ice broke away and turned into the sea. Blowing your bangs out of your eyes, you started to wave your arms in a feeble attempt to get the people aboard the oncoming ships attention. The ship appeared to be of Fire Nation nature, which would work out to your advantage. Wondering who it was, you spotted a few soldiers standing on the deck, moving your arms a bit more to garner attention. Amidst the soldiers was a young man with a high ponytail and an older man who looked vaguely familiar.

Your eyes widened as you realized who the older man was, or at least who you thought it was. You shouted his name as loud as you could in hopes of getting their attention. The shout didn't seem to be loud enough to gain any, so you did so a second time. This time it seemed to work and everyone that was out on the deck stopped what they were doing and turned to look in your general direction.

You saw the younger boy turn to address the familiar man, but the distance was too far for you to properly read their lips. The young man turned a glare in your direction, surely suspicious of this rather random turn of events. In the matter of a few minutes the ship was a few yards away from where you stood on the cusp of the ice. Before the soldiers could start to put down the ramp, you pulled your katana and used it to catapult yourself onto the deck in one swift movement.

The soldiers looked shocked at your sudden move, smirking you turned to glance at the young man who had aimed such a nasty look in your direction. His eyes narrowed at the fluid, swift movement and the appearance of a weapon. Focusing on the old man who stood a few feet in front of you, you spied his open arms and rushed into them to embrace him. "I knew it was you, Iroh! You have no idea how good it is to see you." You whispered as you wrapped your arms around him as tight a you could, he lifted you up off your feet for a moment before setting you down and removing his arms. "It's good to see you as well. You have blossomed into a beautiful young woman." Iroh returned the sentiment, the vibrations of his laugh moving down your arms where they rested around his shoulders.

The young man cleared his throat to break the scene. You and Iroh both turned your attention to him. You eyed him up and down as he did to you, both of your sizing each other up. As younger people typically did when encountering each other for the first time. Prince Zuko, this is an old friend of mine." Iroh introduced as he clapped a hand down lightly on your shoulder. You turned slightly surprised eyes to Iroh.

"So this is the Zuko that you told me about. He looks a bit different than I imagined." At your harmless statement, as least in your mind, Zuko's anger and annoyance at your sudden arrival grew. He was right here, for spirit's sake, did you have to talk about his scar like that? But it became apparent that wasn't what you meant, "He's much more handsome that you let on." You chuckled as you turned back to face a now flushed Zuko, completely caught off guard by your honest words. Off to the side, Iroh felt a thought cross his mind and quickly let it go, a smile gracing his features.

"It's nice to finally meet you, I know you know nothing of me, but your Uncle Iroh has told me a bit about you." You brought your hands together and clasped them as you bowed slightly to him. You weren't the best at formal manners but you knew better than to merely greet the banished prince of the Fire Nation with words.

Zuko took his time to study you, if you were a friend of his uncle's that didn't exactly indicate what type of person you were. Your clothing was simple, black and no distinguishing or national colors. You carried two traveling bags and single sheathed katana. As he studied you, he would glance at your face. He could tell by the small hesitant smile donning your kips that you were nervous, but whether it was because of circumstance or genuine nerves he hadn't the faintest idea. You didn't look all that threatening or dangerous, but the slightly mysterious air about you had him leaning toward cautious regarding how to best move forward. Eyes still trained on you as you moved to take your hair from it's small, short clip to let it fall just on your shoulders, Zuko questioned his uncle. "You mentioned before she boarded that she's from the Fire Nation, correct?"

"Yes, Prince Zuko. She is indeed Fire Nation." Zuko quietly took that in. You seemed to be about his age, and had the same glint now in your eyes that reminded him of someone that he was cautious of it. You could be cahoots with that someone and the words were out of his mouth before he could even register them. "Who sent you?" Zuko's expression formed into a glare once again, as he noticed you immediately tensed. Off to the side, Iroh slapped his hand to his forehead at the prince's choice of words. Iroh knew that you wouldn't take kindly to Zuko's attitude seeing as you had a certain general reciprocity and respect about your interactions.

Your eyes narrowed as your glared at him, annoyance flaring at his unfounded accusation, but you composed it as well as you could. "If you're assuming that your dear sister sent me, you're wrong." You said calmly, observing the way Zuko's face contorted into an angry scowl at the direct mention of his sister. "Then why are you here?" Zuko all but demanded, not convinced even if his chest lost some tension in the slightest.

"I was out here painting the landscape, my ship fell victim to an unexpected avalanche. Though great at building ships, my father can't make indestructible ones. I've been following my map and the stars as for the past fortnight."

"How stupid do you think I am?"

He glared at you, that seemed to be a common face he pulled, which is a shame because it'll cause major wrinkles in his otherwise smooth skin. It was too much negative energy for you, especially after having been backpacking through the land for two weeks, you marched up to him with an idea in mind. Before the young man could react, you moved in quick fluid movements to bind him arms behind his back and force him to his knees. You may look small but there was a power about your movements, Zuko could barely wiggle, and there was no doubt in his mind he wouldn't be able to pry himself free as begrudging as he was to admit it. To add a little insult to injury, you lifted your foot and placed it on his back to drive your point home.

"Listen here, Prince Zuko." You huffed, "You have the right to be wary of me, but your attitude is unwarranted. I've been out in this land for a good minute and my head is killing me. I am not in the best of moods. Now I expect you to act like the lovely young man that I know is beneath this hardened, banished prince and show me to a room I can stay in."

Zuko's face flushed in both anger and your close proximity.

Off to the side, Iroh and the soldiers watched the scene with reserve. Unsure of how he would react in such a situation. Iroh's eyes narrowed at a flash of emotion in Zuko's eyes. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was something.

Zuko loudly ordered a soldier to show you to a room, still save for his jaw twitching.

"Miss Kumiko, this way if you please." A soldier took a step forward, a hand sweeping out in invitation.

"Just call me Kumiko." You said as you took your time to release Zuko, a small way of ensuring he knew you were more than capable of holding your own. You gave him a small, genuine smile, the flush on his face from having been overpowered more than a little satisfying. Zuko didn't say anything except nod in agreement towards the soldiers, you were obviously not in a good mood as you said, having pulled a power move so quickly and unabashedly.

"It would do you well to become friends with her, Prince Zuko." Iroh helped Zuko to get to his feet once you had let go of him and walked off.

Zuko glared at the prospect of becoming friends with someone who suddenly appeared in his life, you were nothing to him and his journey. He was already having trouble with leads for finding the Avatar, and he didn't need any distractions. "I know you are focused solely on your goal to find the Avatar, but please do not waste your youth. Live life to the fullest, you will be much happier if you do so. " Iroh was already walking away when Zuko turned to snap at him for telling him out to live his life

"I will see you at dinner, but until then I am going to catch up with Kumiko over a hot cup of ginger spice tea. If I can recall correctly, that was her favorite. Think about what I've said, Prince Zuko, please." Iroh called as he disappeared into the tower. Zuko was now all alone out on the deck, the remaining soldiers having gone back to their posts.

He walked over to the railing and leaned against it, starring out at the vast expanse of the ice. He spied the trail of footprints that must have been made from your journey. "Kumiko, huh?" Zuko quietly questioned, thinking about all the random turn of events.

Inside the ships quarters, you and Iroh sat quietly and enjoyed some tea. Silent save for the deep breath you would take every so often. Iroh was waiting for you to talk to him, something serious hiding behind your eyes that changed you from the never worried and carefree girl he knew when you were younger. He would wait patiently for you to open up about what had transpired during your travels, he was also quite curious as to what prompted you to set out. Last he recalled, you were set in taking the family business into your own, despite being the only child in your family.

The silence was comforting to you, the energy and air about Iroh was always calming, familiar. It was a long while before you spoke in a serious manner. But when you did it prompted a tightening of your chest and tears to sting at your eyes.

"Have you heard of a man named Zhao?"

"We have heard that he has recently made his way up the ranks, but we have yet to meet with him or have a run in with him."

"He's the reason I left home, as much as I loved our relocation to the Earth Kingdom colonies. He kept calling on me, despite my father's warnings. Putting more pressure on us to get out the higher numbers they demanded of us."

"Your family have always made things of quality, it is such a shame that you have been targeted by the Army."

"I don't put any blame with you, truly."

Zuko had ordered the ship to be anchored for the night, it seemed to be a good idea considering the eerie feel in the air as he stood out on the deck and watched the sun set. He has been spending the sunset hour looking out at your footprints, they looked so small in the expanse of the land. He was trying to figure out if the small black object he saw alongside them further up inland was real or a play on his eyes in the bright white of the snow and ice. Not being able to dispel his curiosity, Zuko put his hand on the railing and jumped off the deck. He landed easily and took his time walking over to the object, eyeing the lengthening trail of your footprints. Two whole weeks of being out here in just pure nothing. It can't have been easy, especially being one who grew up in the warm environment of the homeland.

As he got closer to the object, Zuko could start to make out its shape. It appeared to be a wooden case. He opened it to find that it held an array of paint, the tubes looked old with wear and were splattered with a variety of the colors he could see all piled together. Zuko shook his head as he closed the case. You sure were an odd girl, first you lose your ship and then you lose a seemingly old and important case of paint. Surely something of personal importance. "What else will I have to deal with?" He asked himself as he thought of what happened earlier with your initial meeting.

You had initially been shown to a room that was a few hallways away from the prison cells, but Iroh had used his authority on the ship to get you a room in the same hallway as his own. Rather than below the deck amid the soldiers and workers quarters even though he knew you wouldn't have minded, he did. He needed you close in case anything happened, he felt morally responsible for you since reuniting. He told Prince Zuko as much when he walked by and down the hallway towards his own room, calling for him to stop. The three rooms were the only in the hallway, convenient and necessary, the older was sure of it. He didn't know what the rest of the journey would entail, but the story you told him had him on alert not only for you but for the entire ship as well now.

You room was decorated simply, with a giant map of the world taking up much of the wall opposite the door. The bed was length side along it, the head of it resting catty corner and facing out into the room in a way to maximize the space of the room. Two small scrolls with the Fire Nation emblem framed a black desk to the left of the door. To the right was a small black table that was beside the bed and a small chest that was intended for the room's occupants belongings. The metal floor was covered in a thick, deep red rug, you had asked for to fight off the chill leftover from traversing the tundra. The bedspread was the same color, donned with black pillows.

The sound of your steady breathing could be heard in the room as you slept peacefully on the bed, comfortably wrapped in the soft blanket that was between the sheets and the comforter, since you had moved the comforter over to one side of the bed, away from you. You had moved the pillows to the end of the bed and laid down on your stomach, your face turned to the wall from what little bit of your hair that was visible in the blanket. It wasn't visible from the door, but you had your katana on the bed beside you, lying beside the length of it and a small hand stretched out from beneath the blanket to rest on it. Talking to Iroh had tired you out, it was a lot of energy to hold conversation as serious as it was after being on your own for nearly a year.

The knock at your door didn't seem to infiltrate your sleeping mind, so the person who was knocking on the metal door opened it to peer inside. Prince Zuko spied your sleeping form and was about to leave you be, since he didn't want another altercation with you for disturbing you. Iroh stepped out of his room at that exact moment and just took in the scene with a small smile on his face.

"Whatever are you doing, Prince Zuko?"

The young man spun around so quickly it was a wonder he didn't get whiplash, but his hair did swing enough to hit him in his face.

"I was not spying on her!" He shouted, his face flushed at being caught standing at your open doorway as your slept. Iroh didn't seem fazed by Zuko's outburst as he closed his own door and made his way down the hallway, intent on getting to the dining room for dinner.

"Since you're there, Prince Zuko, may you wake her and escort her to dinner?" He spoke just as he rounded the corner, giving the younger man no time to rebut. He just continued to stare at the corner his uncle disappeared around in disbelief. Sighing, Zuko moved to step into the room.

He spied your bags on the floor beside the desk, clothes spilling out of the larger one. Your boots were resting beside them as well, small, he observed, such small boots. He moved to set the case in his hands on the desk, close to the rest of your belongings. There was a faint scent of light rose and citrus coming from your bag, a scent he would come to associate with you.

"Kumiko," he called out, hoping that simply calling you would be enough to wake you from your sleep. It seemed you were a heavy sleeper though, or either just in a really deep sleep after your travels since his call didn't do anything, not even summon a twitch from your form. He tried calling your name a second time, a tad louder but to no avail. He stood beside the bed now, and reached out to gently shake your shoulder.

Before he could call out again, the prince suddenly found himself pinned to the bed. He turned surprised eyes to your small form hovering above him. He shouted out in shock, his eyes meeting your own. You just blinked at him, eyes out of focus for a moment.

"Do not _ever_ come into my room while I'm sleeping, do you hear me!?" Your eyes lit up with anger, though Zuko was positive he could see fear in them as well. Your grip where you pinned him down was strong, unmovable. Your chest was heaving with your heavy breathing, your face flushed and full of emotion. He filed that away to ponder later, though it was very overwhelming for him in the moment.

"How dare you order me around on my own ship!" He found his voice, shouting back at you, quickly being overcome with his own array of emotions. He tried to sit up under you, but you were indeed strong, your grip like steel. He grunted with effort to switch your positions, but he managed to shove you back and off of him. He was a little uncomfortable with how close you had been to him, not to mention the sheer audacity of overpowering him twice now.

"How can you even dare get so close to me?" He stood from the bed, standing tall beside it while you laid partially on your back, your katana now unsheathed and aimed directly at his chest. You seemed confident despite the armor he still wore. "Do you not see this ugly scar?"

"Oh shut up!" You shouted back at him, sitting up more to touch the end of your blade to his armor. The lanterns about the room flared with all of the emotions swarming the room. You saw through his anger and the shame and embarrassment he felt about his scar, his banishment. Even though you didn't' know him on a personal level, you felt for him. "You need to get over yourself, it's just a scar Prince Zuko."

He took a step back, no one had ever talked back to him in such a manner. Especially on such personal matters.

"Your scar isn't what defines you, unless you let it." You stood up, grateful for the space his backtracking had given you. You sheathed your katana with one fluid motion, the click loud in the silent room. You stepped forward and raised a hand, hesitant. Zuko stood his ground, his arms stiff at his sides. One more step closer to him and your hand was resting on his face, where his scar resided over his left eye. His skin prickled and the room got heated as he looked down at you, fear no longer in your eyes, but a curiosity he could never recall seeing in someone when they looked at him.

"Let's put this behind us and go to the dining room."


End file.
